1980 starcraft SS restoraton

[dozerII]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

Hey Keith, I had wanted to put a live well in my 18SS as well but didn't want any thru-hull holes either, so I went with a removeable one. I purchased a fairly large Coleman cooler fitted it with a bubbler to aireate the water, cut an 8"dia hole in one side of the top and built a lid out of poly cutting board that covers the hole and half the top of the cooler. Just lift the lid drop your fish in close the lid, plus you can cut your bait on the cutting board. It keeps the fish alive very well and at the end of the day we just carry the cooler up the the cleaning station to clean the fish. I can post some pics if you want.
Glen

 

[Starman8]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

Livewells are great if...................

You are a tournament fisherman and need live fish at the weigh-in

Livewells can sometimes provide a benefit if you are culling your harvest(although reintroduction of a culled fish doesn't guarantee survival of it)

When fishing for meat, a cooler of ice is all one needs.

On Erie when perch fishing either on my boat(no livewells) or on friends later model Starcrafts, LUND's, etc. that have livewells, they all do the same thing with bait and fish.........

The main minnow buckets hangs over the side, the AUX bucket in the boat has a $5 aerator, and all fish go in a cooler of ice, and this happens on $35000 rigs.

 

[LonLB]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

One of the advantages to a livewell is keeping bait alive. Minnows can be downright expensive in larger sizes, and a livewell is great to keep those alive. Even IF you are not keeping fish, or fishing a tournament.

Pike chubs, Musky sized suckers, medium fatheads for walleyes etc.

 

[Starman8]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

It all depends how one fishes. Most of our fishing group never use live bait for Pike or Musky in Ohio or Canada, and prefer leeches or crawlers for Walleye, but this is a livewell thread, so not going to Hijack it with bait preservation opinions.

If you buy a boat with livewells, great, if you want to retrofit one, great. My preference is additional dry storage compartments for useful things like batteries, expensive rod holders that attach to mounted expensive tracks, safety gear, fishing tackle, tools, ski ropes/tows, etc.

On Lake Erie, 6 guys in a boat would hold an auction for the last remaining emerald shiner floating upside down in a bucket................lol

keith, that trolling motor sounds like a nice deal

We basically have the same boat, and my 24v 70pound MotorGuide work great. Double-check your bow to waterline measurement for 54", mine has a 60" and a 54" might be cutting it close? Also check if Vari-speed versus 5 speed.

 

[Starman8]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

The "stringers" in these tin boats do little more than support the deck.....provided they are serviceable, no need to do anything to them imo.

and everything attached to the deck, like consoles, seat bases, ski tow base, and, if you look at some resto threads, anyone who added a ski/rod locker more than likely added lateral support between the stringers?

 

[Keithwpg]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

the live well will be mostly used for bait and i may still just use a small tank and use it only for bait, still undecided. eitherway i need to rig up a pump bracket of some sorts

i think that trolling motor will be long enough at 54 inches, but i will double check one day. it is variable control as well. either way half off the price it was a great deal

 

[Keithwpg]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

does anyone know what the distance from the bow to water line is on these boats? i store my boat at my uncles out of town and cant measure the trolling motor on the boat properly

 

[lmuss53]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

I can't tell you the distance, but on my '96 Superfisherman the Minnkota 55AP 54 inch motor worked, but it did have to be ALL the way down. 55 pounds was plenty of power but it would pull the prop out occasionally in 3 foot rollers. I still have it and it will go on the Sea Nymph, on a Minnkota quick release mount. I liked the ease of only having one battery, but I had to pull batteries out to charge them then, I won't now.

The Starcraft came with 3 livewells, 2 of which I unhooked the pumps on and plugged all the drains to make into dry storage.

I have a Grayline bait tank for Striper bait, and a BIG cooler for Stripers. I'm with Starman, when I'm Perch or Crappie fishing, bait goes in a bucket over the side, and meat goes in a cooler. I will put a livewell in the Sea Nymph just to drop the bait bucket in or to use if we don't want to haul the bait tank and conditions allow for keeping Striper bait in the livewell.

 

[Keithwpg]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

whats the best way to secure the plywood to the stringers and boat? i noticed it was mostly riveted before, i was thinking of using some stainless self tapping screws to secure it.

 

[richardlee]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

I used rivets on my 1979 SS. The only holes I matched up with the original were were the plywood seamed together with the stringers and aluminum cross pieces. I drilled new holes for the other rivets. I used 3/16 rivets and they worked well. All I have is a hand riveter and I didn't have any problems.

 

[dozerII]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

I used 1.5"rivets with large heads on mine, I chucked the aluminum joiner strips for the plywood and replaced them with a plywood doubler under the deck. The seerved two purposes, 1 to join the sheets, 2 to strengthen the floor where my seat pedestals are positioned. Y ou can see how Idid this in post #137 in my restore in the signiture.
Glen

 

[Starman8]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

I used mostly 3/16" rivets and some SS screws where additional wood was used as reinforcement.

Was not overly concerned about original holes being used again. I did use the lateral strapping original to the boat, also incorporated NASHUA butyl waterproof tape and LockTite adhesive for stringers and seams. My stringers also received an additional rivet at each rib where needed.

 

[Keithwpg]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

thanks guys! im just tryin to get all these little things figured before i start rebuilding in the spring

dozerII your thread is helpin alot actually. Im getting some ideas for myself as well. i seen you used Urethane Spar Varnish for your wood, how did the glue for your flooring adhere to that?

 

[dozerII]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

Hey Keith, I do all my assembly for the doublers first with Gorrilla glue. test fit everything then, three coats of spar varnish. I figure these boats were put together 25 years ago with nothing protecting the wood, and they lasted this long, with the varnish who knows how long they will last.
Glen

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

I used regular old deck screws to secure the deck in both my projects. Seems to work well. A bead of PL on the stringers and rib tops can't hurt as well.

 

[richardlee]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

I coated my plywood with resin. You can buy it at Lowes for $35 a gal. I talked with a couple of local boat rebuilders and that is what they recommended. My starcraft is 18'. After I cut the plywood and fitted, I removed and coated with resin. I built a fishing deck instead of the walk-through bow and had enough resin to treat all my plywood and still had some left over. I used marine spar on a table for my Big Green Egg. It was exposed to the weather some when I did not cover it and the spar started to peal off. I had thought about using spar on my plywood but was a little concerned. Of course, it probably wouldn't be exposed to the weather like my table, so it might be okay.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

I coated my plywood with resin. You can buy it at Lowes for $35 a gal. I talked with a couple of local boat rebuilders and that is what they recommended.

I don't believe I have seen epoxy resin at Lowes. You sure it wasn't poly resin?

Most boat builders will use poly resin but they also are using glass too.

Cheers!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

I coated my plywood with resin. You can buy it at Lowes for $35 a gal.

As Jas alluded too, that's not going to work. Poly resin, which is all they typically sell at Lowes, is useless without fiberglass. It will crack and peel in short order. Epoxy, however, is fine by itself.

 

[LonLB]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

As Jas alluded too, that's not going to work. Poly resin, which is all they typically sell at Lowes, is useless without fiberglass. It will crack and peel in short order. Epoxy, however, is fine by itself.

I've seen several glass boats with wood floors that had poly resin coating and they were not peeling or cracking. Some several years old.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 1980 starcraft SS restoraton

I've seen several glass boats with wood floors that had poly resin coating and they were not peeling or cracking. Some several years old.

You certain it was poly without glass Lon?

I'd be a backyard boat builder so I have no idea but...

I'd tend to think even the lowest quality boat builders out there would be using poly plus glass, eh?